Every summer I feel the same mix of joy and dread as I anticipate the endless sunny days, the ice-cream evenings, the pool trips, the library adventures and the sprinklers. I love all of these special moments with my kids, but I also acutely struggle with the lack of structure and the constant noise and chaos of having everybody home all the time.
I was glad to get to talk to Stan Parker about how we handle things at our house. It’s been a steep learning curve of letting go of the mom guilt of not having a magical summer and embracing our family goals. We may not do a bunch of big trips, but by the end of the summer, I hope I know my kids a little better and we’ve grown a little closer. If you want to hear more of my thoughts about giving yourself grace, embracing the summer as a time of spiritual growth, and managing the difficult (but SO necessary) task of summer self-care, here you go:
Here are some links to my other thoughts on how moms can survive summer with joy and our sanity intact:
My Kids Did Not Have a Magical Summer
My Kid’s Boredom is Not My Problem